LITMIR.BIZ

Vivaldi's violin concertos called «The Four Seasons» are one of the best known and loved collections of string music in our time. Their programmatic nature, based on the lines of sonnets printed along with the music, brings seasonal sights and sounds readily and delightfully to the ear: the bird calls in «Spring,» the swarm of wasps in «Summer,» the hunters' horns in «Autumn,» the winds and icy snow of «Winter.»This volume contains these wonderfully evocative masterpieces along with eight other concertos that comprise Vivaldi's complete Opus 8 — including «The Storm at Sea,» «Pleasure,» and «The Hunt.»Dr. Eleanor Selfridge-Field, a recognized authority on music of the Italian Baroque, has researched primary sources in Italy to prepare this specially commissioned, authoritative new edition. Together with its excellent scores — new music plates have been prepared to create an unusually pristine and elegant edition — the volume provides a thorough introduction to Vivaldi's music and times, a new English translation of the original sonnets (with a guide to their linear placement in the scores), and extensive editorial notes for students of the period.

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Prokofiev's first symphony, which he mischievously dubbed «Classical,» is a sprightly piece based on the symphonic models of Haydn. «I thought that if Haydn were alive today he would compose just as he did before, but at the same time would include something new in his manner of composition,» Prokofiev remarked. «I wanted to compose such a symphony: a symphony in the classical style.»The composer's synthesis of twentieth harmonies and timbres with eighteenth-century structure and form has captivated audiences since its premiere in 1918. This is Prokofiev's most frequently performed symphonic work, and this edition is meticulously reproduced from an authoritative early source.

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This beautifully engraved collection of 26 all-time holiday favorites is arranged with tablature for players on all levels. A wonderful addition to gatherings of friends and family, it includes:"The Boar's Head Carol," «The First Nowell,» «Good King Wenceslas,» «O Christmas Tree,» «Patapan,» «What Child Is This?» and 20 other classic songs.Practical, sturdily bound, and inexpensive, this treasury of Yuletide cheer features original arrangements by guitarist and music scholar David Nadal. Experienced and novice players alike will find it an ideal resource for capturing the Christmas spirit.

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Among musicologists and serious lovers of music, Wagner's Tristan und Isolde is generally considered the high point of orchestration in the musical tradition of nineteenth-century Europe. It shows in most successful form Wagner's unsurpassed gift for using the instruments of the orchestra, and generations of students have worked with it to learn its technique.Tristan und Isolde also has a remarkable historical position. It was the opera that most of the post-Wagnerians used to build upon, and it was also the opera that the anti-Wagnerians seized upon very frequently for their attacks and for their attempts to move musically away from Wagnerism. Accepted or rejected, it has been the work with which late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century musicians had to come to terms, and much musical history of this period can be understood through it.This edition reproduces the full orchestral score in a clear, modern engraving for easy reading and piano study, with large legible notation. Do not confuse this with a piano rendering; it is a full orchestral score. In addition to its obvious uses for study, this score is also an indispensable associate for anyone listening to recordings. In no other manner can the listener keep full awareness of the incredible orchestral richness of this opera.

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"He [Wagner] has been much criticized for this strongly personal statement of a religious subject, which mingles the concepts of sacred and profane love; but in the light of modern knowledge, his insight into the relationship between religious and sexual experience can only seem much in advance of his time." — Encylopaedia BritannicaCompleted in 1882, Parsifal is Wagner's last opera and one of his finest, renowned for its splendid music and glowing orchestration. With its deeply personal treatment of the legend of the Holy Grail, and the subtle intensity and depth of compassion of its treatment of themes of innocence and purity, remorse and sexual renunciation, the opera ranks as one of Wagner's most symbolic, intense, and compassionate works.This Dover edition reproduces every note of this glorious masterpiece from the authoritative C. F. Peters edition, including the list of characters and contents in both German and English. It will be welcomed by musicians, music lovers, opera buffs, and admirers of Wagner as the only complete, inexpensive edition of a 19th-century landmark.

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One of the most performed and recorded of Bach's major works, the St. Matthew Passion has been a focal point of concert seasons and festivals around the world for over 150 years. First performed in the late 1720s, it is a drama of epic grandeur, long considered the noblest, most inspired musical treatment of the story of the crucifixion of Christ. Bach set the text, based on two chapters from the Gospel of St. Matthew, using a large ensemble of two choruses, soloists, and two orchestras. The full score is reprinted here from the fine edition prepared by the Bach-Gesellschaft.Although the St. Matthew Passion is often held to be the apotheosis of Lutheran church music, this magnificent oratorio reaches out to its audience in the language, form, and spirit of opera. Richly dramatic and theatrical, following the general form of Baroque opera, it unfolds its deeply moving story in recitatives, ariosos, arias, chorales, and mighty choral movements. This finely produced score offers music lovers the opportunity — at a price far lower than comparable editions — to follow performances score in hand, and to gain a more intimate knowledge of the rich musical textures of this great masterwork.

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In 1910, following his successful orchestration of selections for the ballet Les Sylphides, the innovative young composer Igor Stravinsky was commissioned by the director of the Ballets Russes, Serge Diaghilev, to create a completely new score. The dazzling result was The Firebird, a work which brought overnight success to its creator and distinguished him as the most gifted of the younger generation of Russian composers. Based on Russian fairy tales, the piece, according to Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, has «all the coloring of a Russian child's picture book…brilliant orchestration, glowing color…an extraordinary evocative power which literally enchants the listener.»Today, The Firebird is as popular and enthusiastically received as it was following its triumphant premiere in Paris more than a century ago. Greatly admired for its orchestrations and harmony, the composition is widely studied by practicing musicians and music students.Now the complete score of this modern masterpiece is available in this handsome, authoritative, and inexpensive edition, which includes a list of instruments and English translations of the stage directions.

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"La Bohème is perhaps Puccini's most nearly perfect opera." — Hughes, Famous Puccini Operas.It has long been one of the world's most beloved musical works — an instantly enchanting blend of charm, warmth, gaiety, and pathos, brought to vibrant life by Puccini's sparkling, lighthearted score. La Bohème, based on Henri Murger's novel Scènes de la Vie de Bohème, was first performed at the Teatro Regio, Turin, in 1896. It soon became a staple of the operatic repertoire and has remained so ever since. Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians notes that «Puccini's music reflects the alternate gaiety and pathos of Murger's novel with a truth and sincerity to which no name but that of genius can be applied.»Now musicians, opera enthusiasts, and all music lovers can enjoy the full score of this wonderful masterpiece in a sturdy, attractive volume. Reprinted complete and unabridged from an authoritative Italian edition, with English translations of the lists of characters and instruments and a new table of contents, this edition offers an inexpensive, high-quality score ideal for reading and study. It is a valuable aid to the full enjoyment of a unique and lasting musical landmark.

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